


Santa Claus is Coming to Town

by clgfanfic



Series: Shadow Chasers/X-Files - Little St. Nick [5]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-03
Updated: 2012-11-03
Packaged: 2017-11-17 15:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/553074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's that time of year - again</p>
            </blockquote>





	Santa Claus is Coming to Town

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine The Yule Tide #2 under the pen name J.P. Cads.

"Mulder, when are you going tell me about this case?" agent Dana Scully asked, irritation clear in her clipped tone.

Her partner, however, showed no signs of chattiness as he clenched the end of a candy cane in his teeth and flagged a cab with both hands.  Scully's eyes closed momentarily as a flash of orange and yellow bolted from the line of island cabs and roared towards them.

The two agents took an involuntary step backwards as the cab lurched to a stop at the curb.  A grinning Jamaican youth hiked a thumb over his shoulder, saying, "The boot's open, mon."

Mulder carried his and Scully's small travelling bags to the rear of the car and deposited them in the trunk, pausing momentarily to finger the red velvet lining.

"Something wrong?" Scully asked, noting her partner's focused attention.

"What?" Mulder asked around the candy cane.

"I asked if there was something wrong," she repeated.

Mulder shook his head and grabbed the candy, using it to point at the velvet lining.  "Nothing wrong, I was just admiring the upholstery."

Scully shook her head, grabbed Mulder's arm and escorted him to the cab door, opening it for him.  He climbed in and she followed, mentally counting to ten when she encountered the neon green interior.  Leave it to Mulder to pick a color blind cab driver.

"Where to, mon?" the driver asked, turning down the reggae rendition of _White Christmas_ that blared from the radio's speakers.

Mulder fished into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of grey paper which he handed to the cabbie.  "You know where this is?"

The Jamaican unfolded the paper and read the address scribbled there in Mulder's rambling script.  "Yeah, mon, I know the place."

Mulder nodded as he took back the paper and returned it to his jacket pocket. "Good, take us to the closest hotel to that location."

"You some kind of hitmon or something?" the driver asked as he floored the accelerator and sent the cab hurdling into traffic.  He drummed on his horn when another cab tried to cut him off, then swerved around three young girls on bicycles to cut the offending cab off as they zipped out onto the coastal road.

"No, we're not," Mulder replied as soon as he thought it safe.

"Feds, then?" the young man asked.  "From the United States, mon?"

"He's very good," Mulder said to Scully, grinning.

She rolled her eyes and watched the road for approaching traffic since the driver seemed content to navigate while leaning back against the door so he could stare into the rear seat.

"We're F.B.I. agents," Mulder explained.

The driver nodded.  "I've seen your TV show, mon."

"Oh?" Scully asked.

"Yeah, mon, you know, the one with Ephraim Zimbalas Junior."

Mulder and Scully exchanged amused glances.

"You know, mon, you're the second trip I've made out here today."

"Second?" Mulder repeated, leaning forward, his expression suddenly intent.  "Who else did you take out there?"

"A couple other Americans, mon."

"I knew it!" Mulder hissed under his breath.

"What?" Scully demanded.  Her partner ignored her, but she could almost see his brain calculating some private puzzle, the pieces falling neatly into place.  "Mulder, _where_ are we going?"

He shoved the unwrapped end of the candy cane back into his mouth, sucking and licking at the ever sharpening point.  For a brief moment she considered whether or not the pointed confection might serve as a deadly weapon she could use on her uncommunicative partner, but a particularly steep dip interrupted her murderous musings and she grabbed for the seat to keep from sliding off as they rocketed down the slope, then shot up the other side in a perfect imitation of an amusement park roller coaster.  Mulder remained oblivious to the adventure, lost in the equally torturous convolutions of his own thoughts.

When the road returned to something more or less level she reached out and grabbed Mulder's jacket sleeve.  "I really think it's time you told me about this case," she said as quietly as she could.  She watched the driver lean back as far as he could without arching up and over the seat.

Mulder turned a serious gaze on her.  "I didn't want to tell you before," he admitted, pulling the candy cane out of his mouth.  "But now that I know Benedek's here, I'm sure my intelligence was right."

"Benedek?" she echoed, her forehead wrinkling.  "Benedek… Benedek…  Edgar Benedek?"

Mulder nodded solemnly.  "He's here, and it sounds like he brought MacKenzie with him again."

"Again?" Scully repeated, the pieces of the mystery sliding into place for her as well.

"I heard from—"

Scully's grip tightened on Mulder's jacket sleeve.  "December twenty-third, I should've guessed," she hissed.  "You're at it again, aren't you?"

"Scully, this file is import—"

"This is nuts!"

"How can you say that after last year?"

She twisted away and pressed her back against the car seat.  "Mulder, I'm going back to the airport and I'm catching a flight back home, _today!_ "

Mulder turned, his gaze imploring.  "Scully, please, I'm closer to _him_ this year than ever before.  And I got the information earlier than ever, too.  We've got an opportunity here to—"

"To waste my holiday on a wild goose chase," she completed for him.  "One of these days, Mulder…"

"Scully, please?" he asked

She sighed heavily and contemplated another use of the recently ever-present candy cane, then silently counted to fifteen before she said.  "All right, I'll stay and I'll help you, but this is the _last_ time."

Mulder beamed.  "Thanks, Scully."

She gave him a half shrug.  "Let's just say I won't mind running into Jon again."

"Jon?"

"Professor Jonathan MacKenzie."

"Right, right, Benedek's cover."

Scully shook her head, hoping she wouldn't be forced to kill her partner before the holiday was over.

Mulder leaned closer and offered her a candy cane.  She accepted, ripping the plastic off the end tip and shoving it in her mouth.


End file.
